'Gladiator' can show the way for Beckham
England captain will handle pressure, say psychologists. David Millward reports
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The single-minded determination which has taken David Beckham to the top of his sport will carry him through the furore surrounding his private life, sports psychologists maintained yesterday.
"There's a scene in Gladiator, where Russell Crowe rubs dirt into his hands before entering the Roman arena," Patrick Cohn said. "It's symbolic of how he ceases to be an ordinary person and becomes a warrior. Top sportsmen are the same."
"There's a scene in Gladiator, where Russell Crowe rubs dirt into his hands before entering the Roman arena," Patrick Cohn said. "It's symbolic of how he ceases to be an ordinary person and becomes a warrior. Top sportsmen are the same."
Dr Cohn, whose clients have included the Miami Dolphins football team and top golfers, said leading sportsmen have an almost unique ability to shut out the rest of the world when the time comes to compete. "Sport is an escape from life. When athletes become immersed, everything else falls by the wayside."
In America, for example, Kobe Bryant, a key member of the LA Lakers basketball team, has continued to star for his side even though he faces trial for allegedly raping a 19-year-old student.
"People have different roles and, once you commit yourself to the soccer field, your sole role is that of the athlete."
Life for sportsmen has become more difficult, says Dr Cohn, as media interest in their private lives has intensified over the last 10 years.
"People have different roles and, once you commit yourself to the soccer field, your sole role is that of the athlete."
Life for sportsmen has become more difficult, says Dr Cohn, as media interest in their private lives has intensified over the last 10 years.
"They have a high visibility that does present extra challenges for them to overcome. But great athletes rise above it all. How does Tiger Woods continue to play so well when there are millions of eyes upon him?"
Another psychologist, Sandy Wolfson, of Northumbria University, agreed. "Single-mindedness is the thing which distinguishes highly successful footballers from the less successful ones. My expectation is that it will not be a problem for him."
Another psychologist, Sandy Wolfson, of Northumbria University, agreed. "Single-mindedness is the thing which distinguishes highly successful footballers from the less successful ones. My expectation is that it will not be a problem for him."
She said Beckham had already displayed remarkable resilience after being vilified by the press following his sending off against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup.
"All the papers had nasty things to say about him but he showed he was the sort of person able to put these sort of things to one side.
"It is the way he coped with the aftermath of that incident in the World Cup which makes me confident," she added. "Players can make a critical mistake and they have to deal with it."
"All the papers had nasty things to say about him but he showed he was the sort of person able to put these sort of things to one side.
"It is the way he coped with the aftermath of that incident in the World Cup which makes me confident," she added. "Players can make a critical mistake and they have to deal with it."
Although living in Spain is said to have contributed to Beckham's alleged marital difficulties, it has kept him away from the treatment he could have expected from rival supporters were he still a Manchester United player.
English fans are quicker to capitalise on a player's personal indiscretions than Spanish fans and to date Beckham has had little more than occasional abuse about his hair.
English fans are quicker to capitalise on a player's personal indiscretions than Spanish fans and to date Beckham has had little more than occasional abuse about his hair.
He will also look to his team-mates at Real Madrid for support during his high-profile personal crisis. Two of his closest friends in the side, Luis Figo and Michel Salgado, both speak good English.
Beckham is believed to have picked up enough Spanish to understand some dressing room banter but Real's revolving door transfer policy has meant it is not a particularly closely-knit squad.
Another psychologist with close involvement in professional football believed that the England squad will also have a crucial task in bolstering Beckham's spirits. "You have to have a family atmosphere and you can see how closely-knit the England squad is."
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Beckham is believed to have picked up enough Spanish to understand some dressing room banter but Real's revolving door transfer policy has meant it is not a particularly closely-knit squad.
Another psychologist with close involvement in professional football believed that the England squad will also have a crucial task in bolstering Beckham's spirits. "You have to have a family atmosphere and you can see how closely-knit the England squad is."
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